In the video above, we chat with two Gold Medal winners in The Great Canadian Wine Match: winemaker Sebastien Jacquey and wine lover Darlene Meyers, who rallied thousands of votes for Sebastien’s Le Clos Jordanne Grand Clos Chardonnay to be named Canada’s Best Wine with Chicken. Sebastien joins me from his winery in Niagara, Ontario and Darlene from her home in Halifax, Nova Scotia: – Darlene describes how her first taste of Le Clos Jordanne Le Grand Clos Chardonnay changed her from drinking red wines all the time – Darlene and Sebastien talk about why this wine pairs well with […]
Food & Wine Pairing
Grilled Fruit Salad, Bocconcini, Mint Recipe and Dessert Wine
Harvest in the Flavours This Season Fresh fruit abounds this summer. So when I came across this light and refreshing recipe for Grilled Fruit Salad with Bocconcini and Mint, I knew I had to try it. Jam-packed with juicy fresh fruits and fresh Canadian Bocconcini cheese, your mouth will water just thinking about it. A fruity recipe like this calls for a fruity wine. Rossignol Estate Iced Liberty Blossom is a sweet wine from Prince Edward Island that is made with three different kinds of apples. Another great match is Clos de Caveau Fruit Sauvage, a sweet, yet […]
National Post on Wine Writers + Competitions: Critiquing the Critics
National Post drinks columnist Adam McDowell penned an excellent, thought-provoking editorial in the weekend edition of the paper on wine critics and competitions entitled “Are wine critics fooling us into buying pricier bottles?” He opens with the classic Roald Dahl short story Taste, in which a stockbroker makes a bet with his wine snob dining companion, to correctly identify a wine in a blind taste test. (Dahl is also the author of the bestselling children’s novels Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach: clearly a man who loves food and drink, but mercifully doesn’t take it, […]
Smoky Stuffed Eggplant with Mozzarella and Feta Recipe
Summer Entertaining Made Easy The season every hostess longs for is finally here: Summer Entertaining Season. But along with the many hostess woes (What should I wear? Will the weather be good? What date works for everyone?) comes the most difficult questions of all: what should I make? Luckily, I have a recipe that will put the pickiest hostess at ease. This recipe for Smoky stuffed eggplant with Mozzarella and Feta contains the best elements of summer in one self-contained bowl. Healthy vegetables? Check. Garden-fresh herbs? Check. All-natural Canadian cheese? Check. Now that you know what to make, you can […]
Red Wine and Cupcake Pairings: Red Velvet and Chocolate Guinness Meet Their Match
In our second video, we chat about pairing red wines with cupcakes: think red velvet, chocolate chocolate and chocolate Guinness (Belgian dark chocolate dipped in Guinness beer). Even lighter and drier red wines, such as pinot noir, have a place beside cupcakes. Discover some great combinations with the owners of Ottawa’s Cupcake Lounge. You can also watch part one of our chat where we pair carrot, butterscotch bourbon and maple cinnamon cupcakes with white wines and sparkling wines. The research never ends ;) Natalie: We are back with Claudia Arizmendi and Bill McGuiness, owners of Ottawa’s Cupcake Lounge. We are […]
Wine and Cheese Pairing with a Blockbuster BC Wine
In our second video, we chat about visiting Quails’ Gate winery, winner of the Gold Medal in The Great Canadian Wine Match: – Tips on visiting the winery, including the special menus at the winery’s Old Vines restaurant – How long can Optima age for those wanting to cellar this dessert wine? – Why don’t more Canadian wineries make botrytis affected dessert wines? – What role do people’s choice awards play in our wine and food culture? Natalie: And we’re back with Matt Steeves the wine lover who championed Optima, Quails Gate Optima in the Great Canadian Wine Match and […]
Baco Noir: A Grape to Call Our Own
Baco Noir: if you live and drink wine in Ontario, then seeing this on a wine label is probably not a curiousity. But, if you don’t live in a cool wine making region, then this hybrid grape has probably never passed your lips. A cross of Folle Blanche from western France (historically used to produce Cognac) and a Vitis Riparia vine indigenous to North America, Baco Noir grows happily in vineyards of Ontario and produces wine that is deserving of the glass. Typically a smoky, fruity, deeply coloured wine, it was once a mainstay in Niagara, before the arrival of […]
Canada’s Best Wine with Cheese: Quails’ Gate Video
In this video, we chat with the Gold Medal Winners of Canada’s Best Wine with Cheese in The Great Canadian Wine Match. Winemaker Tony Stewart joins us from his winery Quails’ Gate in BC’s Okanagan Valley along with wine lover Matt Steeves, in Ottawa, who championed the winning wine during a very competitive voting process. We talk about: – Why Optima made such a big impression on Matt the first time he tasted it – How Optima pairs with cheeses, and which types are best suited to it, as well as some desserts – What makes Optima unique on the […]
Wine and Cupcake Pairing: Best Matches Video
This video is all about pairing wine and cupcakes, yes cupcakes! Husband and wife Bill McGuiness and Claudia Arimendi, owners of Ottawa’s Cupcake Lounge should know. They take cupcakes to a whole new level: dark Belgian chocolate, Madagascar bourbon vanilla, sweet butter cream, 50 flavours, hand iced. As if their cupcakes weren’t enough on their own (and they are), we talk about how to pair them with different styles of wine depending on the cupcake flavour. Have fun with friends and a tasting party. Natalie: Ottawa’s Cupcake Lounge takes cupcakes to a whole new level. Think dark Belgian […]
Grilled Canadian Feta Skewers Recipe
Welcome back the BBQ! As the mercury continues to climb, I’m starting to shake the remaining winter chill out of my system. I was looking for menu inspiration to transition out of sweater weather into BBQ season and found this wonderful idea. This simple recipe for Grilled Canadian Feta Skewers is quick, easy, and will give you a break from the stuffy indoors. Along with being a colourful addition to summertime meals, these skewers are made with savoury Canadian Feta – a refreshing break from traditional BBQ recipes. A great wine that goes well with barbequed flavours is Miguel Torres […]
